The Earth Stood Still
by VeritaParlata
Summary: Clark finds and reads Chloe's letter to him and realizes that one moment can change the world.
1. Part 1:

The Earth Stood Still

Rating: PG-13  
Characters: Chloe Sullivan/Clark Kent  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from _Smallville_.  
_Description:_ One moment can change the world.

- - -

Part I:

Sunlight splashed through the windows against the pale white walls. A cool breeze blew unhindered through the opened balcony doors. Unseasonably cold for mid-August and the faint smell of moisture wafting along indicated a storm was on the way.

Silence bounced off the walls of the sun-drenched living room. Chloe Sullivan leaned against the opposite wall watching best friend Clark Kent adjust her couch and chair set. A small smile curled the corners of her mouth sardonically when she heard him grunting.

"Tired, Clark?"

A loaded question if ever there was one, since Clark didn't get tired…or at least not physically exhausted like most humans. He could toss a tractor like a baseball, lifting a couch was nothing compared to that. Clark was an alien from a distant galaxy. His home world was on the verge of destruction and he was sent to earth by his parents in an effort to save him. He'd come down with a hail of meteors that over the years had strange effects on the inhabitants of their town. Chloe, herself, had thought him to be infected for a while after learning of his extraordinary abilities, but had come to find that he was an alien and that his powers came from earth's yellow sun.

Clark's green eyes shifted over stealthily, pinning her with an annoyed glance. "Annoyed ismore like it." he growled. "I've moved this couch five times, Chlo. Pick a spot already."

Chloe's smile grew wider at the hint of annoyance in Clark's voice. There was very little they fought over; in fact, they rarely fought at all. They snarked, of course, Chloe unable to keep the sarcastic comments locked firmly behind her lips and Clark simply couldn't help the rebuttal that spilled from his own. When they did fight, which was a major event for two people who often thought along the same lines, the only emotional twinge in his voice would be pain and anger. There wouldn't even be annoyance in his eyes. He'd look at her, wounded, before the cold steel filtered into his green eyes and harden them.

So the fact now that he was showing annoyance in both his eyes and voice amused her a bit. Even more after she shared a glance with their long-time friend and new Metropolis resident Pete Ross. Pete returned her sarcastic gaze from the barstool he occupied in front of her kitchen, and seemed to shrug carelessly. He'd changed from the boy Chloe had known. Still handsome and charming, his facial features maturing, morphing boy into man. She'd missed him when he and his mother, a federal judge, moved to Wichita at the end of their eleventh grade year. Looking at him now, the young determined man before her, remembering the boy he once was, she realized just how much she had missed him and how happy she was that he was now a part of her and Clark's lives once again.

He'd attended a community college in Wichita for two years and studied abroad for a year before transferring to Metropolis University to complete his undergraduate course study in Political Science. Chloe had the sneaking suspicion that the one time he'd interned in the mayor's office in Smallville had a deep impact on his life.

She herself was also going to complete her undergraduate coursework this year in Journalism, as she really had no other dream that mattered as much as being a reporter. To bring truth and justice to the public. It's something she's worked her entire life for. In high school, she was editor of their high school newspaper. She'd worked furiously to get an internship one summer and somehow got it, beating out nearly five hundred other students. She'd struck a deal with the devil, or someone awfully close to being the devil, at the end of tenth grade. She didn't like to think about that time. Didn't like to think that she let her hurt pride cloud her judgment and betray her best friend. She didn't betray him of course, found she never could since he meant more to her than anything, but the action itself, the moment of weakness as she called it showed her a different side to herself. A side she never wanted to see again. It also further strained the already wounded relationship between her and Clark.

They'd fought their way back somehow. And if she was asked to explain why they had, Chloe knew she couldn't give you an answer. She often wondered herself why they'd stayed friends for so long, even through all the hurt and pain. She wondered why they meant so much to each other and somehow…always ended up back where they started. Back to the center of their relationship, the very foundation that held them together.

They trusted each other.

She trusted him with her life…and over time, he'd come to trust her with his. Clark knew without a shadow of a doubt that Chloe wouldn't hesitate to throw herself into anything if it meant saving someone she cared about. But that wasn't what it meant for Clark to trust someone with his life. Chloe knew his secret. She knew his true identity, his abilities, and all the other things that went along with that. Having information such as that could not only put him in danger, it put her in danger as well. The secret _was_ his life. It shaped everything about him. Showed him who to trust and who not to trust.

Told him who he could rely on in times of need when he was feeling overwhelmed.

And the answer was always her.

He knew Chloe rising to meet the challenge shouldn't have surprised him. It was just the type of person she was. Nevertheless, it did surprise him. Surprised him even more when she seemed amazed by his abilities. The abilities he thought were a curse, a block from his ultimate goal of fitting into this world, she thought was simply amazing. And she looked at him as if he was amazing. But before he could latch on to the thought that she was looking at him that way because of the abilities, he reminded himself she always looked at him that way. That she looked at him that way as Clark. She'd always look at him as Clark, and that thought was more comforting than anything. He didn't want to be different in her eyes…he always wanted her to look at him as her best friend.

And she did.

They'd been through so much together. A series of defining moments strung together in a lifetime that seemed to lead up to some miraculous point. Chloe couldn't quite figure out the destination. Couldn't quite see the bigger picture, but that was okay, she was enjoying the journey.

"Uh-oh." Pete's voice broke into her hazy thoughts. Her eyes focused on him and she found him smiling at her. He shared a glance with Clark, the smile taking a more teasing shape before saying, "She's reminiscing again."

Chloe rolled her eyes at his comment, but couldn't help the smile. She didn't deny his claim as she walked over and sat on the couch next to Clark. She couldn't help the images of him changing over the years that came before her. From the short, scrawny boy she kissed in eighth grade to the strapping, painfully handsome man who sat before her. He'd gone back to college to complete his freshman year the semester Chloe started her sophomore year. He'd dropped out once his father died in order to restore balance to the universe. Chloe batted away dark feelings as the memory washed over her. Clark had been torturing himself for weeks after that. Felt that it was his fault since he'd begged his biological father Jor-El to allow him to go back in time and save the girl he loved, Lana Lang. Clark knew he had a destiny that would be fulfilled whether he liked it or not. Try as he might to outrun it, fate always had a way of stepping in. Chloe couldn't imagine the anguish he felt at knowing his choices resulted in the death of the only father he'd ever known. It tarnished everything from that point on and he never viewed the world the same way again.

He'd let go of the idea that he could save everyone. It didn't stop him from trying though. He would always help those who needed it. It wasn't the Kryptonian in him that drove him to do that, nor was it the humanity he so desperately tried to obtain. It was something wholly Clark. Clark Kent was a man who couldn't sit idly by and watch those around him suffering. He couldn't stand to watch the world around him shift to darkness. It simply was not a part of who he was.

He'd changed his major when he went back to school. Majoring in journalism like Chloe had. She'd smiled at him and asked him why he suddenly decided to become a journalist and he smiled back briefly before replying. Asking her if she remembered back in high school when he ran for a class office and she asked him what his platform was. He answered her question easily now, citing the answer he couldn't complete back then.

_Truth, justice and the American way._

She'd smiled at him, not saying a single word, and they'd spent the rest of the night in a comfortable silence where neither…needed to say a word at all.

Clark and Pete weren't the only ones who'd changed, she'd changed as well. She'd been granted a job at the Daily Planet, the newspaper she's wanted to work at since as far back as she can remember, in their first year of college. She'd been fired after she reneged on her deal with the devil, but didn't give up. She couldn't give up. Working at the Daily Planet was a biological need as far as Chloe was concerned. She was on a mission to save the world by uncovering the truths others wanted buried…and she would never stop. She was overjoyed when Pauline Khan, editor-in-chief, hired her. She had to prove herself to be hired, but Chloe Sullivan never backed down from a challenge. It paid off and she got in on the ground floor of her dream. The basement actually, but it was a start.

She'd matured into womanhood as well as she walked the long journey to becoming the type of reporter she wanted to be. The _in-your-face_ tactics of the teenage girl had morphed into the subtle flirtations of a beautiful woman. She still brought out the harsh tactics when needed, especially if she felt she was being stonewalled. She'd allowed her hair to go back to its natural brown color, falling just past her shoulders right now in a mass of curls. Her own features, she's noticed as she looked to herself in the mirror now, had changed from teenager to those of a beautiful young woman. Her hazel-green eyes still held the same spark they always had and it seemed to grow brighter with every passing year.

"So, uh," - it was Clark's voice now that cut into her reverie. He waved a hand in front of her eyes, and she playfully pushed it away with a wide grin. "About that payment you promised?"

The corners of her mouth turned up in a playful, teasing smile. "Payment?"

"Yeah. You promised Pete and I payment for helping you move into your new apartment." Clark's gaze shifted to Pete accusingly. "Though, if I recall, I did most of the heavy lifting myself."

Pete grinned, relaxed under Clark's glare. "Well I figured since you're so much better at it than I am, I'd stay out of your way." Clark's gaze softened and he laughed softly. "And I did help carry the couch out of the truck. But only because it would look awfully strange for one man to be carrying a couch like it weighed nothing at all."

Clark scoffed and shared a glance with Chloe. "Okay, since you did help - a little - your entitlement to payment has been reinstated."

It was Chloe's turn to scoff. "And here I thought you both helped me out of the kindness of your hearts." she snarked. "What do you expect me to pay you, Clark? My internship just turned to a _paid_ internship this week. The money from my Uncle Sam is paying for rent this month."

"That TV over there is looking kind of nice." Clark replied with a grin and a point to the wide-screen TV placed in her entertainment center in front of them.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't even think about it, farm boy." she teased. "That was a gift from your mom and I'm not parting with it."

"I know it was a gift. I'm the one who suggested it." he replied as he reached over and pinched her side. "I just didn't think she'd get you something bigger than the one she got me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Do you realize how childish you sound right now?"

Clark shrugged carelessly. "What can I say; hunger does that to a man."

"Amen to that." Pete retorted as he plopped down in the chair opposite them. "Do you have anything in here to eat, Chlo? I'm starving."

She made a rude sound. "_Men_. All you think about is food and women." They both graced her with identical smiles and she rolled her eyes. "No, Peter, there is no food here yet. We're supposed to go grocery shopping after we rearrange my furniture." They both groaned as their smiles turned to frowns. "I suppose pizza could be your payment and we could go shopping later."

Both boys liked the idea as their smiles came back. Chloe crawled off the couch to retrieve the carryout number from the kitchen. Pete and Clark struck up a conversation as she ordered the food.

"Delivery in twenty." Chloe said when she returned. Surveying the room, "I guess we could unpack some of my things while we wait."

Clark and Pete, both, opened their mouths to protest. Both very comfortable where they were, but the glance they received from Chloe told them it was not an option.

"Nice to see some things never change." Pete mumbled as she climbed off the chair. He noticed the way Clark was watching Chloe and smiled. "Nice to see that some things do." he replied a little bit softer.


	2. Part 2:

Part II:

Filtering through the old pictures, mementoes and other long since buried treasures of an era that seemed like several lifetimes ago, Clark felt as though he had stepped back in time. Felt, as he looked through the various pictures chronically the stages of her life as though he was watching her grow through the eyes of an omnipotent being.

There were pictures of her with her family before he'd met her. Pictures of her as a baby, smiling brightly for the camera with a toothless grin. Pictures of her as a young child, holding a camera and taking a picture. Clark chuckled softly to himself. Her habit of capturing the moment started early. There were pictures of her and her father, of her and her mother – who Chloe greatly resembled – and pictures of the three of them together. Those pictures, the ones of her and her mother, were buried deep within the box and Clark knew Chloe well enough to know she was trying to keep them out of sight.

Knew her well enough to know the reasons why.

In order to deal with things that were too painful to face head on, you needed to bury them and try to take it a step at a time. He, too, knew exactly how painful that could be.

Clark raised his eyes to Chloe as she sat on the floor a couple of inches away from him before looking back at the picture in his hands.

He could feel the twinge of need washing over him. The desperate need to protect her from anything that would take the light out of her eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd felt the sudden swell within and he knew it wouldn't be the last. He loved Chloe more than anything in the entire world. She was his entire world, outside of his mother, and the need to protect her…from anything…even herself sometimes was something he was very used to. Something he knew he felt only for her. Sure, he cared about others and yes, he risked everything sometimes to save them without asking for anything in return…but it wasn't a need as it was in Chloe's case. It certainly wasn't desperate need. He was desperate for Chloe, he'd realized sometime ago. Desperate to be a part of her life, desperate for her to be a part of his, desperate to be the one she counted on.

He took out more pictures. Pictures of him and her, of her and Pete, of the three of them together. Then some of her and Lana Lang and of all of them together. He thumbed Lana's face and smiled. For what seemed like the nth time to him, he realized that he harbored no feelings toward first love Lana Lang other than friendship. Clark still found it funny how their whole relationship seemed like training to him. Like the training wheels on his bike. He learned so much from Lana and his relationship with her. Learned what he was capable of in relations with human girls. Learned how secrets and lies could taint and tarnish.

They'd broken up a long time ago, eons as far as Clark was concerned, but became friends again somehow. She'd dated his former friend Lex Luthor for a while and he hated her for that. Hated both of them for that, but learned, with Chloe's help, to accept it. Everyone was entitled to his or her own life. Entitled to make their own mistakes. The relationship did not last long, not with Lex's infatuation with 'things that couldn't be explained'. He'd neglected Lana and she simply couldn't take it anymore. She deserved to be put first in someone's life. Clark glanced over at Pete, thinking that maybe now she had found what she was searching for all along.

Pete and Lana had been dating for a month. They'd met by chance at a business seminar when Pete first transferred to Metropolis. Lana had taken an interest in business after taking a class. She'd often expressed interest in buying the Talon out from under Lex and making it her own. Pete, of course, was into politics and the political and business worlds often collided. They'd immediately hit it off and the rest was history. It had taken Clark some time in getting used to seeing his best friend and former love together in such a manner, but he knew it was only his deep-seeded fear of change. Still, he had never seen either of them happier and he wouldn't deny them that.

He dropped that picture on the table and picked another out of the box. This time his face was plastered in it…along with Chloe and Pete as the three of them huddled together. Goofy grins splitting all their face and he couldn't help but laugh aloud. Pete raised his head out of the box he was trudging through and Clark turned the picture around for him to see.

"No way." Pete said with a bright grin to match Clark's. He reached over, took the picture out of Clark's hand, and laughed, causing Chloe to turn and see what all the commotion behind her was about. She looked at the picture and her own smile broke through. "I can't believe you kept this."

"My dad kept it actually." Chloe informed him. "I wanted to burn it, but he felt it had sentimental value." She rolled her eyes.

"I remember that Halloween dance." Pete continued on, ignoring her statement. "It was right after you moved to Smallville. You came as a little pink Fairy Princess." Pete laughed again.

Chloe pinned him with a lethal glare, her mouth turning up in a warning smile. "Yeah," she began softly. "I also remember you showing up dressed as Michael Jackson. Curled wig, loafers, and a sequined glove to boot." Chloe stood and took the picture from his hands. She couldn't suppress her laughter. "I hated that costume, but my dad bought it so I wore it." She handed the picture to Clark when he reached for it. "I looked like such a dork."

"You looked beautiful." Clark told her, his eyes still on the picture. Silence fell between the three of them and he looked up to find Pete trying to hide a grin and Chloe simply staring at him. She had heard something in his voice when he said that. Something soft and intense, something that wasn't usually in his voice when he spoke of her. "What?" Clark questioned her inquisitive gaze.

"That's…not something that usually comes out of Clark Kent's mouth when describing me." She said, and Pete remained surprisingly quiet.

If only Chloe knew the many times Clark called out her name in his sleep. If she knew how many times the words _beautiful, sexy, goddess, love and adoration_ came synonymous with her name she would probably die of shock. If _Clark_ knew that Pete heard him at night in their shared dorm room, he would most likely die of shock, too.

Pete wondered now, if after what seemed like thousands of years, his friends would finally get it together. He hoped so.

"I've called you beautiful before, Chlo." said Clark softly. "Perhaps not enough, but maybe I should. You were beautiful then and you're beautiful now."

Silence fell between them again. Chloe not sure her brain could function enough to formulate a sentence and Clark unable to stop the words that were forming in his mind. He knew he'd be unable to keep them firmly locked behind his lips if Chloe went into reporter mode and started asking questions, and if they were alone, he wouldn't have a problem with that. However, admitting that you're in love with your best friend, have been for a very long time, and just afraid to take the next step was not something you wanted to do with another guy present. Even if that guy was your other best friend.

Besides that, Clark was morbidly terrified that he would say the words and she would get scared and run away, or worse yet, tell him that she didn't feel that way about him any longer…as he'd done to her many times before.

"Yeah." Pete chimed in when the crestfallen mood became too much to bear. "You are beautiful, Chloe." He waited for her to look down at him with a sarcastic gaze before continuing. "And if anyone looked like a dork that night, it was CK over here."

Chloe laughed, a good sign that her brewing questions had been forgotten for now. Clark glared at Pete, trying his hardest to look hurt or annoyed, but Pete caught the warm thank you in his eyes. Pete always had a way of bailing him out of situations, but Clark wasn't so sure this was one he needed, or even wanted to be rescued from.

"Thanks." Clark said, trying to sound hurt, but even he knew it was true.

"I mean, how original was that outfit? A scarecrow?" Pete pinned Clark with an amused glare.

Clark rolled his eyes. "What did you expect? I'm a farm boy. And it would have been great if fifteen other people hadn't shown as the same exact thing."

The buzzer signaling someone was outside rang loudly. Moving behind the couch to get the money from the dining room table, she ran a hand through Clark's dark locks...though she really didn't understand why. "Don't listen to the King of Pop over there, Kent." began Chloe as she moved toward the door. "I thought you looked pretty cute in your coveralls." Clark stuck his tongue out at Pete, and Chloe laughed softly. "Be right back." She told them and headed out the door.

Pete didn't have Clark's superhearing, but he figured he waited enough time for her to be out of earshot before speaking. "What's going on, CK?" He questioned with a playful, all knowing smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your vocabulary is suddenly laden with sweet words for our lady reporter." Pete smiled when he saw a dark red tint rising in Clark's face. He laughed and kicked Clark's foot with his own. "I'm just teasing you, man. I know you have feelings for Chloe." An amused grin crossed Pete's lips. "I've known for quite some time now actually."

This was news to Clark and he could feel the redness in his cheeks darkening. "Uh," He began in his usual trademarked stammer. "…how?"

Pete's eyes darkened with amusement at his friend. His grin widened as well. He didn't want to be blunt and embarrass Clark. That wouldn't be good. Especially if Clark was setting the stage to finally tell Chloe how he felt about her. Being nervous while telling the woman you love that you did indeed love was normal. Being '_Clark_ _nervous_' was disastrous. "Let's just say that your subconscious betrays you…every night."

Brows creased in confusion, "What?" Clark asked. Pete looked at him pointedly and realization dawned. "Oh." More realization came. "Ooh."

"Don't worry, man." Pete began at Clark's expression. "I would never tell her anything. It's not my place and I'd figured you'd want to do that yourself…when you felt the timing was right." He paused shortly, struck suddenly with a curious thought. "And I'm guessing you're feeling the timing is right?"

Clark shrugged, helplessly. "I don't know. I just…I cannot imagine my life without her in it. I've tried and I…She means everything to me. I don't want to lose that."

"Or not let her in on it."

"Let who in on what?" Chloe asked as she stepped through the door carrying two boxes of large pizza. Clark and Pete laughed. The girl seriously had the worst timing.

Standing, Pete smiled easily to Clark before turning a charming gaze and smile to Chloe. "You're so nosy, gorgeous. It's just man-talk."

Chloe hitched an eyebrow at him as she set the pizza down on the coffee table in front of them. "Gorgeous?" a disbelieving smile parted her pink lips as she glanced at Clark who looked like he desperately wanted to sink down in her couch cushions. "You two are awfully sweet with the words today. And since you are, I'll try my hardest not to prod you on your 'man-talk'."

"Wonder of wonders, Chloe Sullivan going against her naturally inquisitive grain."

Chloe glared at him now, but there was again no heat in the gaze. "Be nice, Peter, or I won't let you have any pizza."

Pete made a show of grabbing his chest and twisting his face to express pain. "You would deny a starving man food? I'm wounded. I really am. Do you see this, CK? After everything we do for this girl, she treats us like that."

"Makes you cry." replied Clark, dryly.

"Doesn't matter. I love you anyway." Pete said as he moved around to her. "I have to go though. It's late and I'm meeting Lana to study." He kissed her cheek. "I will take a slice to go." And he bent down and opened the box to get it. "Later, CK." He said to Clark who was devouring a slice of pizza now that the box had been opened. "Bye, gorgeous." He said and pinched Chloe's cheek.

"Bye. Tell Lana I said hey." Chloe said. Clark nodded the same. He would have said so, but he was still eating.

"I will." Pete called as he headed out the door.

Chloe sat down on the couch next to Clark eyeing the box he'd pulled into his lap. It was almost empty. Clark met her gaze and shrugged. Chloe simply shook her head and reached for a slice. Clark pinned her with a frown, motioning to the other box, but Chloe ignored him.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Kent." She said softly to him.

"It always is, Chloe." Clark replied, softly, the intensity back in his voice and Chloe felt her throat tighten at the gleam in his eyes. "It's always you and me."


	3. Part 3:

Part III:

Minutes turned into hours. Every hour, minute or second spent with Chloe Sullivan was a moment that Clark Kent enjoyed thoroughly. There was no one in the world like her. Sure, his world up until this point had been very small, but even with the meteorite villains and everyone else he's encountered in his lifetime, no one could hold a candle to Chloe Sullivan.

There were many words in his vocabulary to describe her. Headstrong, fierce, passionate, intelligent, beautiful, and trustworthy to name a few. All were good words to describe her, but there was only one word in Clark's vocabulary that quite truly captured her essence.

Overwhelming.

To Clark, Chloe was overwhelmingly passionate, overwhelmingly fierce and headstrong, overwhelmingly beautiful inside and out…just overwhelming. Every move she made sparked interest within him. She had this way about her, this way of going through a life laden with tragedy and disaster with grace and eloquence. Her bright smile, her determination, her unwavering loyalty and dedication to him and anything else she cared about. Clark wondered just what in the world took him so long to admit to himself that he was infatuated with her, enamored with her, in love with her.

He simply adored her.

She had successfully ruined him for any other woman. He could never quite love anyone else the way he loved Chloe. Could never quite trust another woman the way he trusted her. Something in Chloe's very soul called to him and he had yet to find it anywhere else. Truthfully, Clark hadn't looked anywhere else and never would. Chloe Sullivan was the one for him.

If only she knew it.

If only he could work up the courage to tell her. Clark had absolutely no problem in talking to her about anything. He could remember a disastrous moment years ago when he'd been dating Lana that he'd gone to her and talked to her about his sex life. He remembered her face, twisting confusedly as she tried to come up with something to say. She made a sarcastic comment in passing, just to put him at ease, but Clark felt like a jerk. What kind of man ran to his female best friend to whine about his sex life with his girlfriend…especially when you suspected that best friend still harbored a romantic feeling or two toward you?

If he could that, there was no doubt in Clark's mind that he could tell Chloe how he felt about her. No doubt that he should at least try.

Try, try, try.

That seemed to capture his life, Clark thought, a little bitterly. Try to fit in, try to hide you abilities, try to seem normal, try to accept the things you cannot change no matter how gifted you are, try to be the man your father taught you to be, try to be a good person, and try to find someone to love.

Try to find someone who loves you. Someone who loves you…for you.

Try not to be afraid to be who you are.

Try not to be afraid.

Looking at Chloe as she placed pictures on the wall, Clark realized that was the only reason he hadn't said anything before. He was afraid of how she would take it. Afraid that she would feel that she was a last resort, that it was simply now her turn with him. He'd seriously hurt himself if she ended up feeling that way. Seriously hurt himself for making her think she was anything less than the sun in his universe.

What he felt for her, was feeling for her, was real. Deep and real and frightening. Clark never felt anything this strongly before. Never felt connected to anyone the way he felt connected to Chloe. She could breathe and he would almost swear that his lungs were claiming the intake. She filled his dreams every night and was his first waking thought every morning. Her eyes, her smile, her face…her. She was his soul-mate, and the thought of losing her drove all the air from his lungs.

He could handle anything…but losing her.

Could handle anything but her not being a presence in his life.

Fear and past events showed him the lengths Chloe would go to in protecting her heart. She'd pushed him away once before when they were freshman in high school. Told him that she thought it would be better if they stayed really good friends, anything else would just get too complicated. And like an idiot, he agreed. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes as she spoke the words, seen her lips quiver and her eyes springing tears when she heard that he agreed, but he didn't rectify the situation. Clark knew exactly why she said the words. Knew she was letting him off the hook for leaving her at the dance to go and save Lana from the tornadoes that threatened Smallville, but her words cut him like a dagger to the heart.

They hurt him to this day and even though he knew that fear was a part of life or anything worth having, he'd heard those words in his head every time he worked up the nerve to tell Chloe that he loved her. Heard them every time Chloe worked up the nerve to tell him how she felt about him.

Clark worried often that he pushed her so far away that she'd never come back. That she would never see him in that light again. That she would only think of him as a friend, or worse a brother. Though it would hurt him deeply, he'd carry on, content in the fact that at least he would still be in her life.

For a while there, Clark thought that had happened. Chloe had started dating someone who was far beneath her in his eyes, though he had the sneaking suspicion that any man was beneath her...himself included. Some drifter named Dean Winchester, who bore a freakish resemblance to Lana's old boyfriend Jason Teague.

Upon meeting him, and the initial shock setting in, Clark decided he didn't like Dean Winchester, or his relationship with Chloe. His best friend was happy and he should have been happy for her, but couldn't. His pride, his need for her, his need to be the hero in her life, the only man outside of her father and Pete that she called on in her times of need wouldn't let him.

Jealous rage filled him whenever he saw Dean or Chloe mentioned one of the supernatural mysteries he and his younger brother Sam were working on. Almost to the point where he snapped. So many times he wanted to ask her if she could see that her relationship with Dean wouldn't work out? Ask her if she could see that they weren't meant to be, but he remembered his previous relationships and how Chloe always stood by him…and his mouth remained firmly shut.

Chloe and Dean had broke up nearly six months ago for reasons unknown to him, but he couldn't feel bad about it even as she was saddened. He loved her and wanted her and she was free now. Yet, he still hadn't said a word about how he was feeling. Still hadn't asked how she felt.

"What do you think?" Chloe asked, breaking into his thoughts.

It took a moment for his thoughts to disappear, for the warmth that was usually in his eyes to spring forth. "It looks nice." was all his fogged mind could muster.

Chloe looked at him curiously, her head titled, her impossibly beautiful face full of concern. "Are you okay, Clark?"

Nodding, "I'm fine." He said. "Why?"

Chloe bit her bottom lip briefly, an action that Clark found to be the most adorable thing he'd ever seen, and sauntered over to him. "You seem a bit…distracted." She laid a hand on his forearm and Clark felt a spark of electricity shoot through his body. "What's going on?"

Clark smiled, a bright happy smile, as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You worry too much, Sullivan. Not that it isn't sweet or anything."

Chloe's brow creased. "My sweetness is duly noted. As is the way you avoided my question." She titled her head again, angling it to get a better view of his eyes. If something was bothering him, she'd see it there. "Out with it."

Typical Chloe. Unable to let anything go. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how much all of us have grown. You, me, Pete, Lana…" he paused in his half-truth. "We're starting new chapters in our lives…together. I was just wondering how that happened."

"Some people are meant to be together." Chloe answered swiftly, a truth to the words she spoke. "I think the four of us are meant to be friends forever. All the things we've gone through together, and apart, have only brought us right here." Her sentence was punctuated with a pat of her hand against his arm.

"And where are we?"

"At the edge of destiny." She replied with a smile. "Or something equally poetic." She scooted closer and nudged him with her shoulder. "Cheer up, Kent. Not all change is bad."

"I know." Clark said as he nudged her back softly. "And I'm cheery. I'm also hungry. Let's go shopping before it gets too late. I'm going to Smallville tonight to see my Mom."

Chloe nodded. "How is Martha?" She felt bad for not calling. Martha Kent was like a mother to her, more of a mother than her own, and she'd made a point of making Chloe feel like a daughter.

"She was great when I talked to her yesterday." Clark beamed with pride when he spoke of his mother. "Enjoying being back at the farm and away from Capitol Hill. Did I tell you she's renting out the land? Some townsfolk who are out of work come to the farm and use the land to grow and tend the animals. My mom takes like one percent so the land stays in our families name, she gets to keep the house and the farm that my dad loved so much is used."

Chloe smiled. Just like Martha to single-handedly restore peace to a town that desperately needed it. "You didn't, but she did."

"She did?"

"Yes, Kent." Chloe said with a laugh. "Your mom and I happen to be friends." She pinned him with an challenging gaze. "Is that a problem."

Clark raised his hands in surrender. "That the two most important persons in my life get along swimmingly? Not a problem at all. Not unless you two are plotting against me. Then all bets are off."

The smile he gave her then was positively sinful and melted something deep within. She'd almost forgotten that little statement he made just then. The two most important persons in his life? She could understand his mom being graced with such an illustrious title, but her? When did that happen? Just as she was about to open her mouth to answer, her phone rang.

_Saved_, she thought. "Excuse me." She said and rose from the couch to answer the call. Clark knew immediately it was her job when she began to wonder down the hallway to her bedroom, no doubt to retrieve her computer.

He shook his head lightly. The life of a journalist, he thought wryly as he looked down into the box on his lap. He'd emptied at least five of these, all full of pictures. He'd forgotten how much Chloe loved photography. He thumbed through a few of them, when a piece of stationary with his name scribbled across the front in her handwriting caught his eye. He took it out and examined it closely, having never seen it before. He thumbed his name lightly, smiling to himself and opened the letter. He wasn't sure he should read it if she'd never given it to him, but the journalist in him wouldn't let him drop it.

_I want to let you in on a secret. _

He read the first line when her voice carried to him from the bedroom.

"Clark?" she called to him. "I have to work on a story that Pauline wants in tomorrow's issue. I'll just go to the grocery store later." Clark heard her rise from her chair and start toward him. Eagerly, he folded the stationary and stuffed it into his pocket. She appeared a few seconds later as he stood and prepared to leave. "Thanks for all your help. You're the best." She smiled warmly to him, walking to him to hug and kiss his cheek. "Tell Martha I said hello and that I'll try to call her as soon as I can."

"I will." Clark replied, his eyes searching her face. What could possibly be the secret she wanted to let him in on? He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Don't work too hard." He said, trying to keep things as normal between them as possible.

"I'll try not to." She said with a smile.

Clark nodded, a smile of his own gracing his handsome face, and he let himself out. Chloe stared after him for a moment. Something was going on with him. Something she couldn't quite figure out. She chuckled wryly to herself. "Clark Kent, man of mystery." She began to speak against the wind. "Every time I think I have you figured out…."

She didn't finish the statement. Felt no need to. Simply turned and headed back to work. Clark would come when he was ready. Like a flash he would run to her. He always did.

And she would wait for him forever if she had to.


	4. Part 4:

Part IV:

_I run to you,  
__When I can't find my way.  
__And I get lost in you,  
__When I don't have the faith.  
__When I don't know what to do,  
__I feel like I can't make it through…_

_I run to you._

- -_ Run to You_, Plus One

Clark could have run home. Could have gone into superspeed and been home in sixty seconds flat. He could have left his cherry red pick-up truck parked in front of Chloe's apartment building, on the aptly named Sullivan Street or parked it back at the dorms, but instead her opted for the three hour drive. Opted to sit alone in the confines of his truck and drive three very long hours. It was torture. An excruciating torture that he'd brought on himself.

He was desperate to read her letter. The letter she had never shown him and tucked safely away in a box of forgotten memories. He knew he shouldn't read it. Knew that it was an invasion of privacy but…he just could not help himself. He could never help himself when it concerned Chloe.

Clark's need to know overpowered his sense of decency. He simply wanted to know the words that she couldn't say to his face. Wanted to know the words that touched her so deeply she had to write them down. Wanted to know why she had never said anything, anything at all.

Settling into the silence that surrounded him, Clark listened intently for the familiar beat. Exhaling deeply, all the other sounds in the world died down to a hum and his breath and the beat of Chloe's heart filled his senses.

He chuckled softly to himself and the _spell_ was broken. Chuckling still at the memory of her face when he told her that he memorized her heartbeat, Clark couldn't but help but feel like a voyeur. He'd been clear in explaining to her how it happened. Clear in explaining that it was just something always in the back of his mind. He'd told her of the many bad dreams he had in the aftermath of his father's death and the screaming, shrieking voice of guilt that rang loudly in his mind. He explained how he needed a soothing sound to guide him through the night. A sound that only he could hear. The sound of her heart. He remembered her face, a look comprised both of shock and dreamy tenderness, when she asked, 'why me?'

Clark answered with the first words that came to his mind.

_It beats in time with mine._

How deeply profound was it to tell her that her heart beats in time with yours? That her heartbeat is the sound you need to fall asleep and keep the demons that haunt you at bay? Yet, not be able to say three little words? The three little words that you think with reckless abandon whenever you think of her, which is quite often.

As he thought on it, Clark realized that _love_ was a grossly inadequate way of describing how he felt about Chloe. She was everything to him. All he had and wanted in a world not his own. The only person he wanted to be with in a life he dared not live alone. His shoulder when he cried, his sounding board when he needed to vent, her arms were his circle of comfort and consolation when things became too much for him. She would shoulder the weight with him, the weight of the world, simply so he didn't have to carry it alone. She was his hero. In a dangerous world where her life is often at risk, she would give it over to save his.

His heart didn't just beat in time with hers…it beat _for_ her.

_Love_ simply could not capture that.

It amazed him how quickly three hours passed, though once out of the confines of the city, he sped up considerably. Powered by a desperate wish to see his mom. Pulling in the open gate on the Kent Farm, Clark could see his mother standing on the porch, trying to catch a glimpse at who was coming down her roadway. Martha smiled brightly when the truck stopped in front of the house and he climbed out.

"Hi, Mom." Clark greeted her, a wide grin plastered against his pink lips. Slamming the door of his truck, he had to fight the urge to run up the steps and sweep his mother off her feet. The bright grin on her face seemed to only enhance his own.

"The prodigal son returns to visit his aging mother." Martha joked before she threw herself into her son's waiting arms.

Clark hadn't seen his mom in a couple of weeks. With his summer course load at Met U and his internship at the Inquisitor, he simply didn't have the time and he's missed her greatly. He talked to her almost every day, just hear her voice, but it wasn't the same as seeing her. Wasn't the same as seeing her look at him with motherly pride.

"Come inside." Martha said as she pulled away from him. "I was just getting ready to fix dinner." She tossed a grin over her shoulder as they climbed the stairs to go inside. "I know you're hungry."

Clark didn't answer, simply blushed and smiled. He paused briefly when Martha went inside to turn and look over the scenery. The lush green grass, the setting sun, the summer smells that he'd grown up with, and smiled warmly. "It's good to be home." Clark said softly and then stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Nothing changed here, and part of Clark was glad. The warm, neutral earth tones, the smells of his childhood enveloped him. Suddenly, he was that little boy again. The little boy who was chased around the couch by his mother, running from her kisses, but always slow enough to be caught. He was that little boy who helped his father on the farm, milking the cows and tilling the land, sitting on the large fence with Dad and watching the sunset.

"Sweetheart?" Martha called to him. His back was turned to her as he scanned the old house. "Are you all right?"

Clark turned around slowly, a misty hue glazing his green orbs, and he smiled softly to her. "Yeah. Fine. Just…" his eyes went distant again as his voice went a little softer. "…feels…" Clark couldn't think of a word to end the statement. Couldn't quite understand what he was feeling. "…overwhelmed. I didn't expect it to…feel like this."

Martha closed the distance between them and ran and reassuring hand over her son's shoulder. She stared at him quizzically for a moment, deducing that his demeanor wasn't just about being home again. "I understand." And because she was sure he knew it, she left it at that. "Why don't you go wash up for dinner?"

Clark nodded and headed up the stairs, thankful that his mother hadn't called him on his peculiar behavior. Thankful that she understood him enough to know he drowning in a sea of emotions he couldn't comprehend at the moment – let alone discuss.

Again, for the nth time this day, Clark Kent felt as though he'd traveled back in time. Walking into his old bedroom, killing time while his mother prepared their meal, he immediately felt like a child again. Or, at least, wished he was still a child. Wished he could crawl underneath the covers of his bed and escape all the things in the world he wasn't ready to face. Wished he could wrap himself up in a cocoon of soft, plush blankets and be safe.

His mother had kept everything the same. He'd moved into the dorms this May for his summer courses and his internship. Over the past three years, he's commuted – or in his case, ran – from Smallville to Metropolis while his mother completed her tenure as a United States Senator. He would have stayed at home this summer, and until he finished school, but Martha convinced him to go. She'd sat him down one night when it was just the two of them at home, always just the two of them now, and told him that he couldn't keep putting his life on hold for her. She's been alone before, she could be alone again and that he had to move forward. His life lied far beyond the cornfields and farms of Smallville.

Clark hated the thought of his mother being all alone in their big empty house. Hated that she was alone at all, but she'd said the words with such conviction, with such a passionate fervor, touching a dormant part of his heart that he was inclined to agree.

Clark chuckled softly, remembering the way Chloe's eyes lit up when he mentioned his mother's suggestion. She was more excited about it than he was, happier to have him a little closer to her. Clark smiled and reminded her that they saw each other every day, but he knew what she meant. He hated to leave her just as much as she hated to watch him go.

The day he moved out of his house was one of the saddest days in his life. If, for no other reason, saying goodbye to everything he'd ever known. Walking into a brand new area of life without a safety net. Clark felt…alone. He felt so…alone.

Then his mother smiled at him, as did Chloe and Clark knew he wasn't alone. Martha hugged him and kissed his cheek, then wished him well and told him that this would always be his home. Martha then smiled to Chloe who was helping Clark move and told her to take care of her little boy. They all laughed, but Chloe promised she would.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling a picture of himself and Chloe huddled together off the nightstand, he sighed. "Has there ever been any significant moment of my life I haven't shared with you?" He asked the picture. He thumbed her image. "Would the moment even be significant if I hadn't shared it with you?"

"_God, Kent," Chloe exclaimed, startled when she walked into her dorm room and found him sitting on her bed. "The University should start charging you for room and board. You're in my dorm room more than I am."_

_Clark scoffed and smiled sarcastically to her, though there was truth in the statement. "That's cute, Sullivan. And here I was waiting patiently for you with a delicious scoop." Clark rose from her bed, a sardonic smile creeping across his pink lips, and moved towards the door. "But you're obviously not interested, so I'll just go."_

_Chloe's hand shot out and grabbed the back of his tee shirt. "Hold on there, big boy." she said with a smile. It took some effort, and Clark's willingness, but she pulled him back to stand in front of her. "Spill."_

"_No, no." He grinned down at her. "Your sarcasm has wounded me deeply."_

"_Clark." Chloe simply said with her eyes narrowed at him in a dangerous glint. Clark was taller than she was, easily, and outweighed her considerably. However, when she stared at him like that, her jaw set, and her eyes ablaze, he was powerless to do anything but bend to her will. _

"_Your snooping partner becomes the enemy." Clark said cryptically._

_He watched as her expression morphed to confusion and then to understanding. "You got the internship at The Inquisitor!" she exclaimed and launched herself into his arms. Instinctively, his arms came around her back and held her close, and her feet came off the floor. "That's great, Clark." She said once he set her back down on her feet._

"_Yeah, Clark Kent, Investigative Reporter…"_

"_Has a nice ring to it." Chloe beamed up at him. "So, I get the scoop part of your statement, but the delicious?"_

"_I was hoping I could take my best friend out to dinner to celebrate."_

"_Ah." She smiled. "Where?"_

"_Anywhere you want to go."_

The steam from his shower filled the room. The water was nearly scalding hot, not that it would have bothered him, and Clark leaned directly under the spray. The soap in his hands he rubbed vigorously over his body. His heart pounded rapidly as the memories flooded him.

Behind his closed lids, a scene played that he could never get out of his mind. Never wanted to get out of his mind.

_Chloe and Clark walked back to her dorm through the Met U campus. It was well after eleven at night and the campus was still bustling with activity. They'd gone out to dinner hours ago, Chloe dragging him to some new restaurant she was just dying to go to. The atmosphere was sultry, the food delectable, and the company all he could have hoped for. They'd laughed and joked, as they usually did, enjoying being together._

"_So, what's your first assignment?" Chloe casually asked on their walk. Clark hitched an eyebrow at her skeptically. "What?"_

"_You think I'm going to tell you? You might snake the story out from under me."_

_Chloe scoffed loudly. "Don't flatter yourself, Kent. I can find my own stories." She bit her lip. "Or, actually, they find me." Clark laughed at that, the sentiment was very true. Chloe never wanted to get involved with her stories, yet always did. "In any event, I was only asking in case you want to use my sources seeing as how I've lived here longer than you. But, fine, I'll keep my services to myself."_

_Clark smiled at her with charm. "That almost sounds like a double entendre." He watched her mouth gape open slightly, but continued before she could respond. "But did it ever occur to you, Sullivan, that I might have my own sources? I can be quite…persuasive…when I need to be."_

_The deep masculine sultriness that accompanied his statement caused Chloe to stop dead in her tracks. She turned to face him, an unreadable expression on her lovely face. "Really?" she challenged._

"_Really."_

"_Care to show me how?"_

_Clark laughed. "Why?"_

"_Maybe I want to see how assertive you've become." _

"_Maybe you want to pick up a few tricks." The heat in his gaze nearly set her skin on fire. Since when did Clark Kent look at her that way?_

"_Maybe I do." Chloe readjusted herself, feeling red rising in her cheeks under the heat of his gaze. "So, come on, Kent. Show me what you've got."_

_Clark paused a moment, thinking it over, then an absent smile crossed his lips. "Okay," he said. "Say, uh," he began softly as he closed the distance between them. His bog body loomed over hers as she looked up into his face, but it wasn't the same as it always was. "Say that I'm getting information on a public official. From his wife. She agrees for me to come to their home and she's all alone. She's always alone." _

_Clark voice dropped to a whisper and his hands come to hover over Chloe's shoulder. He wasn't touching her, but she would almost swear she felt his hand on her skin, almost swear she felt the electricity his touch ignited. "We talk a little. I try to get her to open up, but she's hesitant at first. I have to make her feel comfortable, safe with me." _

_Clark stared longingly into her eyes, catching her gaze and holding it. "Like anything she says to me will be our little secret." He lowered his head and the word 'secret' was a puff of air against her lips. _

_Chloe felt herself shudder as a gasp of air escaped her parted lips. Clark's hand moved to her face, caressing her cheek lightly, while the other pressed against the small of her back, holding her firmly in place. This started out as a game to him, a little tease between him and a friend, but feeling her in his arms, seeing what he could incite in her, smelling her scent on her skin, seeing her impossibly lovely face in a new light, he couldn't help but fall under his own spell._

_He dipped his head and his lips brushed over hers lightly. Chloe closed her eyes, and bit her lip slightly to stifle a moan. He was so close now. Close enough to kiss, but seeming so far away at the same time. Another breath escaped Chloe's lips and he smelled the coffee she'd drank not too long ago. "And then," he titled his head to an angle, his lips brushing her once more. "She's mine…" _

_He hadn't meant to say that. He'd meant to say 'she was putty in my hands', but he'd kept his eyes on Chloe's face. He'd watched her try and hold in another moan and the words slipped from his lips. Chloe opened her heavy lids slowly, staring at him with a heated gaze and he was tempted to say them again. Tempted now to say instead of she…you. You're mine. _

"_You," she cleared her throat, trying to slow the racing of her heart, but didn't push him away. "You wouldn't really do that with a married woman, would you?"_

_Clark smiled at her, taking note of the jealous tone in her voice she tried to hide. "No," his voice was a whisper. "Not with a married woman and never to that extent with any woman."_

"_Why me?" Chloe just had to know._

"_Because you're you."_

_Something altered between them then. Something different, more than friendship, softer yet more intense flowed between them. Chloe looked up at him, her eyes wide and he couldn't stop himself from kissing her. Couldn't stop himself from holding her closer, not letting her run away. Bending his head slightly, he let his lips brush across hers as he'd previously done, before kissing her fully._

_The world seemed to stand still the moment his lips connected to hers. Everything faded away until it was the just the two of them. Everything between them had shifted, and it was both scary and powerful, and the best feeling Clark ever experienced._

_A loud clap of thunder roared overhead and a second later, an onslaught of water poured down upon them._

"_Clark." Chloe whispered his name as she broke the kiss. "It's raining."_

_He stared down at her, unspoken words flowing between them, and nodded._

They'd parted ways inexplicably after that and never spoke of the kiss again. Clark often wondered if it actually happened or if it were some fantasy his mind had concocted. Either way, it was one of the best memories of his life. He knew that night he felt differently about Chloe. Knew without a doubt that she was more than his friend. It was several months ago, and yet he remembered it like it were yesterday.

Still hadn't told her he loved her.

"Clark?" the sound of his mother's voice carried over the now cold shower water. "Dinner's on the table."

"I'll be down in a minute." He said. He heard her footsteps retreating down the hall and turned the water off. He leaned his head against the cool tile, trying to get his emotions under wraps. He couldn't go on like this. He couldn't. He needed Chloe too much. He wanted her too much.

He had to do something.

And it had to be soon.


End file.
